These iPhone Users Can Play Fortnite Again After 2020 Ban

iPhone users around the world who have played Fortnite on their devices are all too familiar with the disaster that befell Epic Games when Apple pulled the wildly popular game from the App Store about four years ago. However, the game has now returned to iPhone users in the EU, thanks to the Digital Markets Act.

Fortnite is a multiplayer battle royale game that gained popularity due to its free-to-play model and addictive gameplay. Many streamers, including Ninja, have contributed to its widespread fame.

“We’re really grateful to the European Commission for not only passing the DMA and allowing competition in stores, but also for coming in and really holding Apple and Google by the leg to make sure they can’t just make it harder for them to compete,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeny told Reuters. He added: “They’ve gone out of their way to slow us down and tried to stop us several times, and the European Commission has always risen to the occasion and made sure that competitors have been able to enter the market.”

Read also: iPhone users are getting a new version of the latest iOS update: Here’s what it means and why you should install it now

Fortnite returns to iPhones in the EU: How it works

To play Fortnite on iPhone, users in the EU will first need to install iOS 17.6 on their devices. They will then need to install the Epic Games Store, which was released on August 16. Once that is done, Fortnite can be downloaded from the Epic Games Store on iPhone for free.

To download the Epic Games Store app, EU users can visit Epic’s website.

Read also: iPhone 16 series launch likely on September 10: Apple may introduce new “Desert” color option

Why was Fortnite removed from the Apple App Store?

For those unfamiliar, in 2020, Apple accused Fortnite developer Epic Games of attempting to bypass a 30% in-app purchase fee charged by Apple, prompting the Cupertino tech giant to remove the game from the App Store. After both companies filed lawsuits against each other, a 2024 Supreme Court ruling dismissed appeals by both Apple and Epic Games, ultimately ruling in Apple’s favor. Epic Games filed lawsuits not only against Apple, but also against Google. The lawsuit against Google was based on similar grounds, alleging that Google was charging an exorbitant fee for in-app purchases made through the Google Play Store on Android devices.

Read also: Google Pixel Fold will be available for sale even after Pixel 9 Pro Fold launch: check out the details here